Healthy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Ready in 5 minutes only, this vegan and gluten-free cookie dough is made with a mysterious ingredient that makes it very healthy!

You have probably noticed that I have been playing a lot with mysterious ingredients lately (cf. in my vegan chocolate mousse or in my vegan aioli). Actually, if it’s not the exact same ingredient, the two recipes have something in common with today’s recipe. So what is the mysterious ingredient I used here? Any guess? Ok, I won’t make you wait any longer: this cookie dough is made with… chickpeas! And if you wonder which ingredient it was for the two other recipes I just mentioned above, it was indeed chickpea water, also named aquafaba!

Yes, yes, I know, the idea of using beans in dessert is just plain weird, but I promise you will get other it at first bite. Before going further here, I just took a quick break and tasted the cookie dough again. I confirm: surprisingly enough, it does not taste chickpeas at all. I tried a few spoons just to be sure (or was it because it’s so addictive? I’m not so sure anymore!), and yes it’s quite impossible to guess that the cookie dough recipe actually involves a veggie, and even less chickpeas. A good test is to serve the cookie dough to your guests with some vanilla ice cream (and a drizzle of chocolate sauce on top!) and see their reaction. I bet they will lick the bowl even before you reveal the truth!

Ok, so if not chickpeas, what does this cookie dough really tastes like? 4 words come to my minds to describe it: sweet, coconut, chocolate, vanilla! The combination of them sounds like a dream to my palate. If you do not like coconut oil so much, you might replace it with other vegetable oil neutral in taste (such as canola oil for instance), but keep in mind that the cookie dough will taste slightly different. If you go for this option, I would suggest you use one more teaspoon of vanilla or one teaspoon of espresso instead, the idea being here to give some character to the dough.

Now what about the texture? Again, it’s bluffing! At first you might notice a slightly different texture from the original cookie dough made with eggs and butter. But once chilled, it’s hard to notice the difference really. The cookie dough is a little bit sticky while still being soft and supple, with this slightly “crunchy” aspect you find in a classic Ben & Jerry’s chocolate chip cookie-dough ice cream, but without the unhealthy side of the last one!

A raw cookie dough is indeed rather unhealthy as we can easily guess. Plus, some claim that we should avoid eating raw eggs as it is not easy to digest (I must say I haven’t done any research on this topic really, so I wouldn’t assert it for sure and I assume it depends on people too). Anyhow, it’s easy to understand that regarding its ingredients – sugar, eggs, butter, flour – a classic cookie dough is not on the healthy side. The one I am sharing with you today however avoid most of these ingredients: there is no refined sugar but maple syrup instead, no eggs which are partly replaced by the chickpeas, no butter but coconut oil, no wheat flour but coconut flour and chickpeas.

This makes the recipe not only vegan (no dairy product, no eggs) but also gluten-free and refined sugar free! And what to say about the chickpeas when it comes to nutrition facts? Chickpeas – or Garbanzo beans as we also call them – are a great source of plant-based protein and fiber, iron, zinc, phosphorus, B vitamins and more. With so many vitamins and nutrients, chickpeas benefit the body in a number of different ways. Among others, it helps control blood sugar levels, increase satiety, and improve digestion thanks to the high fiber content.

Because life is all about balance, we combine here the chickpeas with some delicious mini chocolate chips and a kick of maple syrup to make a delicious and healthier cookie dough dessert. I like to serve mine with some vanilla ice cream, but you can also enjoy it raw and dip some Graham crackers or apple slices into the dough. If you feel a little bit on the creative side, try to replace the chocolate chips with oats and raisins, or keep the chocolate chips and add some pretzel crumbs to the dough (if you don’t mind the gluten only), or serve with a vegan caramel. They are so many ways to twist a cookie dough, just find your own twist. Oh, and as they say: eat dessert first!

One more question my readers ask me a lot: can you make cookies out of this cookie dough? Sure you can, just jump onto the notes below the recipe for the instructions.***

Ready in 5 minutes only, this vegan and gluten-free cookie dough is made with a mysterious ingredient that makes it very healthy!

Author: Delphine Fortin

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Healthy

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chickpeas (about 1 can of 400g), drained

⅓ cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp sea salt*

3 tbsp coconut flour

½ cup mini chocolate chips**

Instructions

In a food processor, blend the chickpeas until smooth.

Add oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt. Blend again for about one minute, until creamy.

Add coconut flour, blend, scrape sides, and blend again.

Fold in the mini chocolate chips and stir well with a small rubber spatula.

Transfer the dough in a large serving bowl and chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Serve the bowl of cookie dough like you would do with hummus, with graham crackers for dipping, or simply spoon the cookie dough and serve with vanilla ice cream.***

Notes

* Omit if you use canned chickpeas with added salt.** Use vegan dark mini chocolate chips (no dairy product involved).*** CAN YOU MAKE COOKIES OUT OF YOUR COOKIE DOUGH? Yes, you can totally use this cookie dough to make regular vegan and gluten-free cookies : preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Form balls out of the cookie dough and flatten them a little bit (they do not spread when baking). Place onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes onto the tray. Transfer then onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.

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